Challenge:

Increases in energy development such as oil, gas, solar, wind and geothermal are threatening public-lands hunting and fishing opportunities across the country. In the past 15 years, more than 40 million acres of the West have been leased for development. Recently, oil and gas companies have been especially aggressive in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming while demands for renewable energy production have drastically compounded the issue by creating a “land rush” on areas available for development.

Unfortunately, many of the locations pressured for energy development also hold some of the nation's best hunting for mule deer, elk, pronghorn and sage grouse, in addition to blue-ribbon fishing for cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout. Hastily developed energy projects can dramatically affect fish and game populations, as seen in the Atlantic Rim region of Wyoming.

Strategy:

The TRCP is working to ensure energy development is balanced with the needs of fish and wildlife. The TRCP's approach to energy development is guided by a team of biologists and experts known as the TRCP Fish, Wildlife and Energy Working Group. The FWEWG developed a set of principles – FACTS for Fish and Wildlife – that call on the federal government and energy industry to address Funding, Accountability, Coordination, Transparency and Science when making decisions on whether and how to allow energy development on lands that contain valuable fish and wildlife resources.

The TRCP is also a leader of the coalition Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development, a campaign aimed at coordinating the conservation community as we work to strike a balance between energy development and conservation in the West. The TRCP shows strong support for responsible energy development but wants to ensure it is done in a way that sustains and conserves natural resources for future generations.

With our nation’s growing reliance on renewable energy sources – solar, wind, geothermal and wave – the TRCP undertook a comprehensive study to better undertand energy transmission policy, siting and sportsmen't intereste. Read Hunting and Angling on the Line: Transmission Policy, Siting and Sportsmen's Interests.

Action:

The TRCP and our conservation partners are actively engaged in policy debates about the future of our fish and wildlife resources. We seek to find solutions for domestic energy development by participating in all levels of policy development. By working both the local and national levels, sportsmen are able to ensure fish and wildlife are adequately managed during energy development.

The TRCP also employs legal strategies to compel better management by federal agencies as seen in lawsuits filed in the Atlantic Rim in south-central Wyoming and in the Pinedale Anticline in southwestern Wyoming. Such action has caused agencies to employ more effective fish and wildlife conservation measures.

Read the TRCP's Report: Mule Deer and Energy – Federal Policy & Planning in the Greater Green River Basin

To learn more about energy development activities in your area e-mail Center for Responsible Energy Development Director Ed Arnett.

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